Sale of state lands: Stop the hypocrisy – Ofosu Kwakye to Amewu

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu’s rantings on the fraudulent sale of state lands is unfortunate and reeks of hypocrisy, that is the contention of a former Deputy Minister for Communication, Felix Ofosu Kwakye.

The Lands Ministry has said it’s investigating “the fraudulent sale of state lands” by the previous NDC administration.

According to the sector Minister, John Peter Amewu state lands were given away to cronies like “kelewele” [fried pieces of plantain] in contravention to due process.

But in an interview with host Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Felix Ofosu Kwakye questioned the motive of Amewu vis a vis his alleged action on the practice, when according to him, he failed to frontally confront his own men from government and his party being prime beneficiaries of the practice.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know what Amewu is complaining about; Exactly what is he complaining about? These are your own people in government, and your party benefiting from state assets in a fraudulent way. Is it the practice that he’s opposed to or his party people illegal way of acquiring assets? He’ll have a cause to complain about this when the list did not include his cronies and colleagues in NPP.”

“His take on the development and what he seeks to do is an exercise in hypocrisy. Of-course it is not a wholesome practice- and we need to preserve state lands. This practice is so pervasive that when you go to Ridge in Kumasi, there are some parcel of lands in that enclave, near Golden Tulip Hotel. You’ll be surprised to know that about half an acre land in that kind of prime land was sold for GHS 800.00 in 2005. The real value of land in that enclave could be sold for GHS200,000. You’ll be shocked the kind of persons on the lists who benefited from that kind of deal.

“It’s unfortunate because, Amewu is not stating government’s position condemning the trend, yet he was putting out a list and creating the impression that it’s some people somewhere who are the beneficiaries, when his own colleagues are complicit in that kind of deals.”